Boat bumper



May 12, 1959 J. M. WILLIAMSON BOAT BUMPER Filed April 50, 1956 INVENTUR JOHN M. WILLIAMSON United States Patent This invention relates to improvements in boat bumpers and more particularly to the class of bumpers used in 4 launches, yachts and small crafts.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a boat bumper which is truly shock absorbing and has a high degree of-resiliency or bounce and one which will not mar the surfaces of the boat which it contacts.

It is another important object of this invention to provide a boat bumper as aforesaid which is virtually unsinkable.

It is another object to provide a boat bumper which will hang over the side of the boat and will not be displaced by the action of wind and can be set on the deck or in the boat and will remain in that place.

Another important object is to provide a boat bumper which is extremely durable and one which will not rot nor become unusuable due to water contact or immersion.

Another object of this invention is to provide a boat bumper which has a pleasing appearance and which can be cheaply and efficiently manufactured.

The principal feature of this invention resides in the provision of a boat bumper comprising a tubular casing having a plurality of resilient gas-filled spheres disposed within the casing, the spheres being surrounded and separated by a filler which completely fills the casing.

More particularly the principal feature of the invention resides in the incorporation of a resilient gas-filled sphere into the boat bumper construction which gives the bumper a truly shock absorbing character. The gas-filled sphere e.g. an ordinary ball such as a tennis ball is characterized by its endurance and resiliency. Where a number of spheres are used the occurrence of a puncture, rupture or deterioration of a single sphere does not render the boat bumper unusuable as would be the case in the known bumpers which have but a single gas-filled compartment or a number of compartments having interconnecting passages. The remaining spheres will react under the bumping action, taking the shock in conjunction with the packing or filler.

In addition it is an added feature that when any or all of the spheres deteriorate or puncture they can be replaced very easily and cheaply.

Another important feature of the invention resides in providing a filler of resilient granular solid rubber particles to surround and separate the spheres from one another and from the casing. The filler is extremely buoyant in its packed state and impervious to water.

Another important feature of the invention resides in forming the casing from a non-expansible, seamless fabric tube to prevent movement of the spheres within the easing on the application of pressure and also to insure that the bumper retains its shape over a long period of time.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent when the following description is read in conjunction with the sheet of drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the preferred form of applicants boat bumper;

2,885,989 Patented May 12, 1959 Figure 2 is a mid-vertical sectional view taken along the line 2--2 of Figure 1.

With reference to Figure 1 of the drawings the boat bumper 1 is shown with an outer jacket 2 of intermeshing strands ofa textile fibre, preferably a nylon and cotton mixture of a type used in fire hose tubing. The jacket or casing 2 is seamless and is woven so as. to be non-expansible.

The ends of the jacket or casing 2 of the boat bumper 1 are flattened as at 3 and 4 which can be seen in Figure 2. The. flattened ends 3 and 4 are closed with a piece of cotton'webbing 5 by stitching or other suitable means. A grommet 6 is inserted through the flattened end 3 to provide a means for fastening a line 7 to the bumper for suspending it from the deck to protect the side of a boat.

Spaced within the jacket 2 in Figure 2 are a number of resilient gas-filled rubber spheres 8 surrounded and separated from each other and from the casing by a packing or filling 9 of resilient granular solid rubber particles. The packing 8 completely fills the jacket 2.

The resilient gas-filled rubber spheres are preferably of the form of a common tennis ball. The material used however may be either rubber or other suitable plastic materials which can be formed into a sphere and which will have the property of resilience and endurance. If one of the spheres 8 should rupture or deteriorate, the remaining spheres in conjunction with the packing 9 continues to react under the bumping action. When any or all of the spheres deteriorate or puncture it is seen that they can be replaced very easily and cheaply and in addition if they are not replaced immediately, the bumper may still be used and be serviceable because of the resilient rubber filler 9.

The granular resilient rubber filler 9 is formed preferably from cured solid rubber, for example, as a byproduct from a vulcanizing operation. The resilience offered by this material in its packed form. greatly enhances the utility of the bumper. It also serves as a protection for the spheres 8 in that the filler completely surrounds and separates the gas-filled spheres from one another and from the casing. Also the weight of the filler 9 keeps the bumper at the boats side in wind and rough weather and because of the weight will stay where it is placed, in or on top of the boat.

It is pointed out that the flattened ends 35 and 4 take on a flared configuration as at 10 and 11 when the jacket has been filled with the granular filler 9 and the rubber gas-filled spheres giving the boat bumper a very pleasing appearance.

The tubular seamless casing or jacket 2 is formed from intermeshing strands of cotton and nylon and is woven in a non-expansible weave. It is preferably a form of fire hose tubing which is very strong, wear resistant and durable. In this form the manufacture of the boat bumper is rendered very simple and very efficient. In addition the non-expansibility of the jacket 2 serves to keep the spheres 8 in their aligned position within the jacket as shown in Figure 2 and also to maintain the granular filler material 9 in its proper position giving protection to the spheres and cushioning the shock received by the boat. The wear resistant and rot resistant properties of the nylon and cotton casing contribute to rendering the boat bumper free from deterioration over a. long period of time.

It is at once apparent that the rubber spheres 8 are very buoyant and that further the packed cured rubber filler 9 in being non-porous will not absorb water. The rubber filler 9 when packed is extremely buoyant. the condition of rotting or deterioration efiectively minimized but the bumper is rendered virtually unsinkable.

It will be understood that the particular construction of Not only is the boat bumper described herein is merely illustrative of the invention and various modifications in details of the construction may be made-without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclus ive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A boat bumper comprising an outside jacket of tubulfar' unseamed non-expansive fabric of intermeshing strands, flattened an'dfcl osed at both ends, a filler comprising; a plurality of gas-filled members spaced in a single row from the ends, the sides, and from each other by resilient granular solid rubber particles and a grommet secured to said jacket adjacent at least one of said flattened ends for securing a line to said bumper.

2. A boat bumper comprising an elongated tubular casin'g closed at both ends, a plurality of gas-fil1ed members arranged Within said casing in spaced relation therealong, said members having a dimension to fit within the casing in a single row only, and a granular filler material filling out the spaces between the gas-filled members and casing.

3. A boat bumper according to claim 2 in which the ends ofthe tubular casing have a substantially square configuration closed by pieces of fabric stitched to said casing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATESPATENTS 108,043 OBrien Oct. 4, 1870 1,605,102 Dryden Nov. 2, 1926 2,040,559 Luttrell May 12, 1936 2,122,372 Hooper June 28, 1938 2,129,941 King Sept. 13, 1938 2,197,839 Roberts et a1. Apr. 23, 1940 2,504,124 Hicks Apr. 18, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 718,624 Great Britain Nov. 17, 1954 

